Secondhand Life

Chapter 25

Ash's P.O.V.

I finished my hot chocolate with Maria silently. We stared at the tv in suspense watching Harry Potter. I glanced away for one second to take a look at Maria. She had taken her make up off and was as amazing as ever. And for a minute I couldn't comprehend how we used to hate each other so much, and yet now we fell in love with each other. 

She twiddled her thumbs and watched the movie intensely as though she was hypnotized by the magic of a place that didn't exist. 

She caught me staring at her. "What cha looking at?" Maria asked smiling at me.

"J-just looking at you. You seem so interested in the movie it made me happy." I said smiling stupidly.

"I've always loved this series. It was my favourite as a child. I used to watch it when my parents left me home with the babysitter." She glowed with glee.

But all at once I couldn't help but feel sick.

"I'll be right back." I said leaving the living room to go to the bathroom. I felt like I was going to puke.

I got to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water having not much of an idea why I was feeling so ill. My body is probably in so much trauma from not sleeping it's making my system act weird. But the sickness I felt, seemed much worse than just sleep deprivation. 

Feeling slightly better I opened the bathroom door and started to walk down the stairs to watch the movie again. Just as I was walking down the stairs Maria was at the bottom step.

"Oh you're okay. You took awhile so I thought you were not feel-" She was going to say something else but I couldn't pay attention. 

My eyes fluttered and my legs lost strength to carry me. I collapsed down the long wood staircase falling into a deep sleep of dreams in the past.

Maria's P.O.V.

I caught Ash in my arms after she had rolled down the stairs once. After I caught her tumbling body we both rolled down the stairs feeling pain until we reached the bottom.

My head hurt as I got up to check on her. "Ash!" I raised my voice slightly near her. I got closer and stared shaking her. "Ash are you okay?" With no voice from her body I stared at her for a moment. Suddenly her body started glowing. As if glowing with sparkles. 

Before I knew it Ash's body started changing. Her hair became red, her face became more pale. Her clothes went from 2014 to 1900's. She was becoming her dream self in real life. My mouth hung open and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I was going to lose her.

***

I laid Ash down on the couch in her dream body and panicked. I turned off the tv and stood there wandering around the room mindlessly. Would she wake up and still be in the same body? Would she never return to her original form? What if she never woke up? What if she's in a coma now what am I supposed to do? If I did call the hospital or police they would never believe that a young girl changed her appearance, hair colour, body image and got clothes from the 1900's in her sleep. They would think I'm crazy and leave or arrest me maybe.

The only solution I could come up with in the end is that I need to go go to sleep now and enter her dream with her and fix everything. Even though in the dreams she has no concept of this world, she doesn't even know I'm Rosaline unless she's awake. This is going to be one hell of a dream. 

I held her hand and laid beside her on the floor only noticing seconds before I fell asleep that her arm was turning back into the old Ash when I touched her. My love for the real her was stronger than the dreams. And as I fell asleep I knew I could win.